So far the
production sword market has been lacking of a Chinese Jian that could
replicate an antique's handling characteristic. The Jian that are
available were usually hilt-heavy and sometimes even overweight compare
to the antique. Chinese swordsmanship practitioners have been looking
forward to a Jian that could handle like an antique, yet capable of
performing test cutting without the worry of destroying a historical
relic for long.

This need
is now addressed by Fred Chen, an internationally famous sword maker.
(note: You may acquire the numerical data on some antique Chinese swords
here.
)

The
Carp Jian we carry here has several interesting features. First of all,
it handles very similar to an antique, more than the Cold Steel Gim
does. According to the statistic research Lancelot has done, many
Chinese swords, no matter steel or bronze, single edged or double edged,
has a point of balance at roughly 38% to 45% of the total length from
the hilt end. Moreover, the weight for the Jian is usually within 2 lbs.
The Carp Jian's balance is 36% of the total length, while the weight is
1 lbs 14 oz.

As
nothing stand alone in the space, the antique handling is linked to proper
blade geometry and such geometry allows historical accurate techniques
to be executed with devastating result. The blade is 6mm thick at the
base with little distal taper to 5mm just before tapering to the point.
This gives the sword a very stiff blade to allow strong thrusts and
almost zero loss of power transfer during sword binding movements. The
specific mass distribution also allows the edge to deliver deep cut into
the bone even with just a wrist-powered "Point" attack, not to mention
the less often executed but extremely powerful full arm cutting motion.
It could sever a limb doubtlessly.

Another
practical detail with the Carp Jian is the progressive sharpening angle.
The two edges were formed in apple seed shape to give a strong support
during blade contacts, while the edges near the tip area transformed
smoothly into flat grind to give supreme sharpness to the delicate cuts
that characterized Chinese swordsmanship.

The light reflection near the edge areas tell tale about the apple seed
blade geometry, forming a pair of strong edges for cutting. (Note: since
2006 the edge geometry has been flattened to lighten up the blade and
for the sharper edges....)

Near the tip, the reflection area of the apple seed
geometry spread out and gave way to the flat grind surface, forming a
very sharp tip dedicated to delicate cuts and thrusts.

In
addition, the guard of the sword was both practical and ergonomic. The
basin-shaped guard caught not only the blood flowing down the blade
during combat, but also incoming attacks from both along the edges and
along the spine, while the non-angular design on all the fittings
prevent producing any hard feeling to the sword hand and wrist during
motions.

Finally,
the Carp Jian produces a nice whistle when the blade travel through the
air with correct blade alignment. That means this sword can be employed
in blade alignment training. Users may practice cutting by going through
the motion and listen to the whistle to determine whether they were
doing it correctly.

Specifications (slight variance occurs due to the nature of handmade)

Overall Length: 35.75"

Blade Length: 28.25"

Weight: 1 lbs 14 oz

Center of gravity: 5.75" from the guard

Blade
thickness: 6mm at base, 5mm at tip

Blade
width: 1.25" at base

Blade
material: 1060 monosteel

(Updated
the stats with the new batch of Carp Jian on 27th July 2005)

*This is a sharp sword and could be lethally dangerous to the user and
anybody nearby.

Shown below is a testimonial from
the customer who bought the first sword.

Test Cutting Report Part 1

After a month of familiarization, I manage to control
Carp Jian with moderate proficiency. So I proceeded to perform test
cutting. The targets were pine boards. Maybe someone would doubt whether
the sword would be damage or bent by cutting pine boards but who can
tell if I don't test it? Moreover, the Chinese sabre could cut the pork
arm into two pieces by one strike so I think the Carp Jian could cut the
boards also. When I first test cut, I placed the 1 inch thick pine board
on the table with the grain horizontal, without any fixation. Then I cut
the board with horizontal cut. With a "sok" sound the board was cut into
two pieces and I couldn't feel any shock from the impact. The board
broke into two pieces automatically when the blade was just half inch
into it and all I had in my mind was "Powerful!". I had test cut with
thick Lung Chuan Jian before and the board would stick to the blade till
the latter was 7 inches deep across the board, then it would break
apart. Wushu Jian was considered good if it can go 2 inches deep, and it
was impossible to break the board apart because I tried many times and
the blade could not withstand the shock of impact. The edge was rolled
and can't be used anymore. After the first cut I examined the edge and
blade. There was no damage at all. Wow! I was getting overwhelmed by the
success and decided to cut again. This time I cut 3 pieces of 1 inch
thick pine board and it was setup in the same way as the first test
cutting. I cut with horizontal again and with a "sok" sound, the three
boards were all cut into two pieces as before. This time I could feel a
bit of shock from the impact. Again, the blade and edges were fine
without any sign of damage and the hilt was tight. It proved that the
sword was of high quality and the assembly was good. I regret that I did
not take any video to share with you but I will perform the test cutting
again with video taken. Moreover, I will also test cut pork arm in the
future.

K.L. Fan aka Cobra
2004-08-14

I bought
a Chinese Qing sabre replica and a Chinese Carp Jian from
Lancelot. These purchases have multiple
meanings to me. Many years ago, I encountered
Lancelot the first time at a martial arts forum when he posted
information of many historical weaponry. What inspired me to chat with
him was the photos and data of an antique Chinese Jian. At the moment, I
had learned a lot about the differences between Wushu Jian and the
antique Jian. I also wanted to own a historical accurate replica Jian.
Back then, Lancelot introduced a good Jian to
me, the bat Jian. The handling, balance, fittings and workmanship was
very good. However, I did not like the bat-shaped guard (just my
preference), so I did not buy the sword. Later, I went to search for
historical accurate replica Jian but years had passed without fruit. It
was in this stage where I bought a Chinese Qing sabre replica from
Lancelot accidentally. The sabre has
excellent handling with good details. I test cut tatami omote and hung
pork arm with it. It severed both kind of targets into two pieces
without effort. I also put the edge on a thick manga magazine "Exam" and
used a stationary push on the spine. The sabre went through the magazine
as the industrial paper cutter did. Why was it so powerful? Because the
balance was 9 inches down the guard and it gave the blade authority
during cutting motion. Moreover, the blade and edge were almost mirror
polished, thus giving it further more cutting power. Of course, no
matter how good the blade geometry looked on the paper, it takes a
skillful maker and a good steel to realize the design. Only after owning
this sword did I realize why the heroes in the martial arts novels would
search for a good weapon regardless the cost. Although I got a good
sabre, I never give up on my quest of the Jian. About a month ago,
Lancelot informed me that he had found a Jian
from the same source of the bat Jian, Carp Jian. After I had taken a
look, I was stunned and my instinct told me it was the one because the
fittings alone was enough to charm me. Next day, I paid up and waited
for 2 weeks. Everyday during the 2 weeks lasted like a year. When I got
the sword, I figured out that the photos did not do it justice. It was a
piece of arts with both artistic and martial value. The engraving on the
fittings were detailed. The carp and the waves were vivid. I unsheathed
it and the polish was as good as the sabre. However, it was not as
sharp, so I tested it on "Exam" magazine. After a horizontal cut and a
vertical thrust, the magazine was cut by 2 inches and thrust by 0.75
inches. The latter was powered by nothing but the sword's weight. As a
compare, I did the same with the sabre before and it cut 3 inches deep,
thrust 0.5 inches deep. It was the difference between the skill and functionality
of the two swords. Later in the future, I will use the Jian to test cut
tatami omote and pork arm to see how it fare. Back to the topic, the
Carp Jian fits my hand very well and the fittings would not get into the
way of my wrist. To conclude, this is my dream sword.

K.L. Fan aka Cobra
2004-07-25

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